Rochdale Borough Council

Broadfield pupils enjoy roar-some day out

14 May 2019

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Around 120 pupils from Broadfield Community Primary School descended on Number One Riverside for a really wild natural history adventure as schools across Rochdale get ready to welcome Dippy the dinosaur in 2020.

Dippy, who has wowed millions of visitors to the Natural History Museum, is currently on a UK-wide tour and Rochdale is one of his stops. The famous dinosaur will take up residence in our library, customer service centre and office building, Number One Riverside, from February to June 2020. It is the only North West stop on the tour.

The year 3 and 4 pupils got busy with a number of natural history-inspired activities, including studying plants under the microscope and creating masks of pollinators like ladybirds and butterflies. They also became palaeontologists for the day as they examined fossils from the collection at Touchstones Rochdale, and created windmills, to highlight the importance of sustainability, a key theme of Dippy's stay in Rochdale.

The day ended on a high note, as the children got on song to perform a special Dippy rap.

'I have loved dinosaurs all my life and when I see Dippy, I will faint'

Adnan Alizadeh, aged 9, said: "I have loved dinosaurs since I was one, so when I see Dippy, I will faint. I have never seen an animal that big in my life. I like their looks and especially like carnivores as they have massive teeth which makes them scary and I like scary things."

Teacher Amanda Wright, said: "Our pupils find dinosaurs really interesting and we do a topic on them in year 3, so to see a real life dinosaur cast like Dippy and enjoy all the accompanying activities will be an amazing opportunity.

"The event was a fantastic taster session and the children have loved it. Dippy's visit is getting closer by the day and the excitement is really starting to build now."

Gill Barratt, our Head of Schools, said: "We're incredibly excited about Dippy coming to Rochdale. It's a brilliant opportunity for us to engage and inspire thousands of schoolchildren and we're working hard to make it an experience they will never forget.

"You can never underestimate the fascination that children have with dinosaurs and the natural world and we aim to harness that enthusiasm to get them engaged in STEM and help inspire the next generation of scientists. The Broadfield pupils were absolute stars and I would like to thank the school and teachers for getting involved in this fantastic event."

Dippy will be in Rochdale from 10 February to 28 June 2020

Dippy will be in Number One Riverside from 10 February to 28 June 2020. A suite of education materials will be produced to help children visiting the exhibition understand the significance of Dippy and how he relates to the wider STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) curriculum. An immersive space will also take visitors back to the time of the dinosaurs. A Dippy and natural world inspired exhibition will also take place at Touchstones Rochdale, the Dippy partner venue in Rochdale.

Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure is being brought to visitors across the UK by the Natural History Museum in partnership with the Garfield Weston Foundation, and supported by Dell EMC and Williams & Hill.